Canon Canada decided to take a cue from cavemen, who told stories through images carved into cave walls, and invite consumers to tell their personal histories using 12 photos at Canontellyourstory.ca. The microsite builds on its ‘Tell Your Story’ mass campaign that launched last fall.

‘We’re finding it’s really resonating with people,’ says Stan Skorayko, VP corporate communications, general and environmental affairs at Mississauga-based Canon Canada, whose photo essay about his grandson is one of the stories Canon seeded on the site.

Canon is also inviting clients to upload their stories. Edmonton’s The Running Room has already added its business history through images. Prizes include digital cameras and colour printers, and, when the contest wraps in December, Canon may use the most popular entry in a mass ad campaign.

Skorayko says the core target demo is 25- to 40-year-old ‘MOPEs’ – managers, owners, professionals and executives. He says another big group is moms: ‘Women with children tend to take a lot of pictures.’

Aside from a press release, the site is being promoted solely through word of mouth. So far, it seems to be working. In two days, Skorayko’s ‘story’ had been viewed over 500 times. ‘A winning concept will drive itself.’

Canon worked with Toronto-based Dentsu Canada on both the mass campaign and the microsite.